This episode is a recording of our recent event held in Think Corner in Helsinki.

Whose Future? Global Visions in a Contested World explored the state of the world in 2026 and what today’s shifting power dynamics mean for societies most affected by global inequality. As geopolitical tensions escalate and global governance faces growing contestation, the discussion asked: where does power truly lie, and whose futures are prioritized?

A central theme was the meaning of a “multipolar world.” Does multipolarity create new space for countries and communities outside traditional centers of power, or does it merely reshape old hierarchies under new forms?

The panel connected global dynamics — including deglobalization, autocratization, colonialism, neoliberalism, and populism — to everyday realities such as livelihoods, public services, migration, citizenship, and the struggle to meet basic needs. The discussion also explored what is often missing from mainstream narratives, and where there may still be room for solidarity, political agency, and alternative futures.

Guests:

Walden Bello is a renowned scholar and activist, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at SUNY Binghamton, and co-founder of Focus on the Global South in Bangkok. He received the Right Livelihood Award in 2003 for exposing the impacts of corporate-driven globalization. His latest book is Global Battlefields: Memoir of a Legendary Public Intellectual from the Global South.

Robtel Neajai Pailey is Assistant Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her work focuses on Critical Development, African, and Race Studies, with research on citizenship, belonging, and structural transformation in Africa. Her award-winning book is Development, (Dual) Citizenship and Its Discontents in Africa.

Dr. Bonn Juego is a political economist and Senior Lecturer in International Development Studies at the University of Jyväskylä. He serves as Chair of the Finnish Society for Development Research and studies crises and alternatives to capitalism, with a focus on the Global South and North–South relations.

Moderated by Max Tallberg and Astrid Aminoff.

The event was part of the pre-conference programme of Development Days 2026, celebrating FSDR’s 40th anniversary.

Global Visions is a non-profit association based in Helsinki, Finland, working to bring people and organisations together to develop ideas aimed at building a better world.

Follow and learn more:

Instagram: @globalvisionsry

Bluesky: globalvisions.bsky.social

TikTok: @globalvisionsry

LinkedIn: Global Visions

Watch our Panel Discussions on our YouTube Channel

YouTube: GlobalVisionsry

More information:

www.globalvisions.fi/en

Take our Visionary Test and find out what type of Visionary you are! https://visionary.globalvisions.tech

Our music is licensed from Premium Beat.

In the second episode of this two part series on transformative politics, futures, and hope, we turn to the question of what comes next. If the future is not predetermined, how can it be shaped, and by whom? The conversation explores the idea that the future is fundamentally open, while acknowledging the constraints posed by climate change, technological developments, and shifting geopolitical dynamics. What does it mean to act under uncertainty, and how can political imagination be sustained in times of crisis?

Sirkka Heinonen emphasises futures literacy, collective visioning, and the distinction between possible, probable, and preferable futures. She highlights the need to imagine alternatives and develop forms of anticipatory governance. Thomas Wallgren reflects on the ethical and political dimensions of uncertainty, questioning dominant narratives around technological progress and emphasising responsibility, agency, and the power of truth. The discussion engages with the limits of current political frameworks and how we understand expertise and collective action.

The episode brings together philosopher and political thinker Professor Thomas Wallgren (University of Helsinki) and Professor Emerita of Futures Research Sirkka Heinonen (University of Turku).

Thomas Wallgren’s work focuses on democracy, transformative politics, and the structural conditions shaping political possibility. He has been closely involved with the World Social Forum and has written extensively on its significance, limitations, and the evolving nature of global political movements.

Sirkka Heinonen is a leading scholar in futures research whose work explores foresight, anticipatory governance, and the role of imagination in shaping societal trajectories. Her research emphasises how engaging with multiple possible futures can itself be a democratic and transformative practice.

Suggested reading:

Paul Raskin, Journey to Earthland: The Great Transition to Planetary Civilization (Tellus Institute, 2016).

Heinonen, Sirkka & Viitamäki, Riku (2025). Society, Skills and Spaces – Curated Conversations on Futures of Work with Foresight Experts. FFRC eBooks 1/2025. Finland Futures Research Centre, University of Turku. ISBN 978-952-249-623-2 (pdf), 978-952-249-624-9 (print). ISSN 1797-1322.

Host: Astrid Aminoff

Global Visions is a non-profit association based in Helsinki, Finland, working to bring people and organisations together to develop ideas aimed at building a better world.

Follow and learn more:

Instagram: @globalvisionsry

Bluesky: globalvisions.bsky.social

TikTok: @globalvisionsry

LinkedIn: Global Visions

Watch our Panel Discussions on our YouTube Channel

YouTube: GlobalVisionsry

More information:

www.globalvisions.fi/en

Take our Visionary Test and find out what type of Visionary you are! https://visionary.globalvisions.tech

Our music is licensed from Premium Beat.

Episode 1: From 1990s Optimism to Authoritarian Capitalism

In the first episode of this two-part series on transformative politics, futures, and hope, we revisit the political optimism of the 1990s and ask what became of the idea that “another world is possible.” What kind of hope shaped global civil society at the time, and how grounded was it in real possibilities for transformation?

The episode brings together philosopher and political thinker Thomas Wallgren and Professor Emerita of Futures Research Sirkka Heinonen.

Thomas Wallgren’s work focuses on democracy, transformative politics, and the structural conditions shaping political possibility. He has been closely involved with the World Social Forum and has written extensively on its significance, limitations, and the evolving nature of global political movements.

Sirkka Heinonen is a leading scholar in futures research whose work explores foresight, anticipatory governance, and the role of imagination in shaping societal trajectories. Her research emphasises how engaging with multiple possible futures can itself be a democratic and transformative practice.

Together, they reflect on the emergence of the World Social Forum, the political openings of the post–Cold War period, and the subsequent shifts in global power structures. The discussion introduces the concept of authoritarian capitalism and explores how contemporary political and economic developments may be reshaping and constraining both transformative politics and our capacity to imagine alternative futures.

The episode sets the stage for a deeper exploration of futures thinking, responsibility, and the possibility of hope in the second part of the series.

Suggested reading:

Paul Raskin, Journey to Earthland: The Great Transition to Planetary Civilization (Tellus Institute, 2016).

Heinonen, Sirkka & Viitamäki, Riku (2025). Society, Skills and Spaces – Curated Conversations on Futures of Work with Foresight Experts. FFRC eBooks 1/2025. Finland Futures Research Centre, University of Turku. ISBN 978-952-249-623-2 (pdf), 978-952-249-624-9 (print). ISSN 1797-1322.

Host: Astrid Aminoff

Global Visions is a non-profit association based in Helsinki, Finland, working to bring people and organisations together to develop ideas aimed at building a better world.

Follow and learn more:

Instagram: @globalvisionsry

Bluesky: globalvisions.bsky.social

TikTok: @globalvisionsry

LinkedIn: Global Visions

Watch our Panel Discussions on our YouTube Channel

YouTube: GlobalVisionsry

More information:

www.globalvisions.fi/en

Take our Visionary Test and find out what type of Visionary you are! https://visionary.globalvisions.tech

Our music is licensed from Premium Beat.